Understanding CPR/AED for Healthcare Providers

Introduction

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) are techniques and tools used to save lives during cardiac or breathing emergencies. You can take CPR AED healthcare provider training to develop these techniques and master the skills needed to deal with adults, children, and infants during such times of distress.

As a medical or healthcare professional, getting your CPR AED is important. You could be in a situation anytime where you may need to administer rescue breaths, chest compressions or use the AED to deliver electric shocks to revive someone’s heart. Getting your CPR AED healthcare provider certification will help you become confident and empowered and effectively respond to emergencies.

What is CPR and AED?

CPR combines chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth breathing to maintain blood flow. When you perform this technique during a cardiac arrest, there are chances of increasing the person’s survival rate. An AED on the other hand is a device used to administer electrical shocks to a person’s heart. This helps restore the heart to a normal rhythm. AEDs provide verbal instruction, making them easy to use. This device is used to automatically figure out the heart rhythm of a person experiencing a cardiac arrest and deliver the shock, if necessary.

CPR AED healthcare provider training is essential for which professions?

CPR AED healthcare provider training is important for anyone, especially professionals who work in emergency rooms and intensive care units, or places where prompt action may be required. Some professional roles that require CPR AED healthcare provider training include:

• Emergency room doctors

As an emergency room doctor, you may often face critical situations where you need to administer CPR.

• Nursing staff

As part of the nursing staff, especially if you work in intensive care units, you may need to administer CPR to adults, children, or infants during emergencies.

• Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs)

Paramedics and EMTs are usually the first ones to respond in emergencies. If you fall under these categories, you should get certified in CPR AED.

When is it necessary to give CPR and use an AED?

The CPR AED healthcare provider training will teach you how to identify the right time to perform CPR and use an AED. Immediately commencing with CPR when a person is unconscious and unresponsive is critical. Performing CPR properly will help keep the blood flowing in the patient’s body and keep their vitals functioning.

AED, used in conjunction with CPR, when used properly can increase the chances of a person’s survival. You will not be able to revive a person’s heart with CPR alone, but you can maintain the heart’s rhythm until a defibrillator is made available. You then need to use the AED to deliver an electric shock to restore the heartbeat of the person. You need to resume delivering CPR without any pauses, after administering a shock, when using an AED.

You need to deploy hands-on CPR when a person is displaying signs of insufficient breathing. This is an alternative approach to traditional CPR and can be given by a bystander who may not be confident of giving rescue breaths. The hands-on CPR procedure involves applying firm and rapid chest compressions with the heel of the hand to the patient.

Components of the CPR AED healthcare provider’s course

The CPR AED healthcare providers course offers training in adult, child, and infant CPR AED training. This is done for both in-hospital and out-of-hospital situations. The course focuses on the use of CPR and AED promptly and efficiently.

• CPR techniques for adults, children, and infants

This course will teach you to recognize signs of a heart attack and understand the right methods of delivering adult, child, and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation. You will also be taught procedures to provide artificial respiration. You will be able to distinguish the procedure when there is one rescuer and more than one rescuer.

• The use of an AED

This course will teach you about how and when to use an AED on an adult. Healthcare professionals learn about the steps for using AED. These steps range from preparing a person for shock to coordinating both CPR and AED.

• Post-cardiac arrest care

In this, you will learn how to manage post-resuscitation care among cardiac patients effectively.

• Foreign body airway obstruction

During the course, you will be able to identify a patient who is choking and learn how to help them.

Getting your CPR AED healthcare provider certification

As a healthcare provider, if you want to get your CPR AED certification, you need to complete a training program from a reputed and well-recognized course provider. A CPR AED certification will be highly insightful. It will train you to perform CPR and use the AED confidently during emergencies. Once you finish the course, you can appear for the exam multiple times till you pass it. On successful completion of your CPR AED training, you will receive a two-year certification.

Conclusion

CPR AED healthcare provider certification is a must for you especially if you work in healthcare. Once you are trained in CPR and AED, you can quickly respond to emergencies by performing compressions and ventilation efficiently.